3600 LED Matrix

Pictures first I suppose:

The Hardware

Quick Facts:

• 1 meter x 1 meter footprint
• 3600 WS2812b LEDs (60x60 grid)
• Powered with a 5V, 300 Watt powersupply
• Runs on a Teensy 3.2 with an OctoWS2811 Adapter
• Messy wiring

The actual matrix is composed of foamboard with WS2812b LED strips glued in rows. On top of the foamboard and LEDs sits two sheets of diffusing plastic, secured in place by 3D printed clips.

The most difficult part of this build very well have been just the alignment of the LEDs. A matrix is not a matrix if there is no order to the strips; every LED strip must be parallel and every LED in a strip must align in a row. Rather than freehanding the alignment (which I’ve previously learned I’m not very good at), I utilized my 3D printer to create an alignment tool. A simple 3x3 grid of rectangles, the holes line up with the LEDs in the strip. This means that if the grid can’t be pressed down in place, the LEDs are misaligned.

With this alignment tool, and a lot of patience during strip layout, the matrix was successfully assembled.

The Software

Quick Facts:

• Runs off of Jinx!
• Software cap at half brightness (anything more is blinding and causes the wires to smoke)
• Implements the Glediator protocol
• Utilizes the OctoWS2811 Library

While I’m running the matrix off of Jinx!, this is purely based around personal preference. The Glediator protocol is fairly robust, allowing me to run other host programs such as Glediator (the program), or custom scripts I’ve created for games like snake, or tetris.